Kelly Reidy
Interview by Julia Brennan, Lafayette College SciArt Intern
Interview by Julia Brennan, Lafayette College SciArt Intern
By Zaza Weissgerber
JB: You have a lot of experience with teaching, be it leading unconventional tours with Museum Hack to teaching classes at universities. What inspires you to teach? What is your favorite part of the job?
KR: I was initially inspired to teach (and lead renegade museum tours) by my love of performing. The first lecture course I taught was in a concert hall with only a piano on stage - no chalkboard - the most appropriate start to my teaching career! I stay inspired by doing my best to incite curiosity in students, coworkers, and random New Yorkers who come on my museum tours. When this is successful, my favorite part of the job happens - something clicks, eyes light up, and people laugh. And then they ask questions! It's an amazing payoff for sharing information that I'm passionate about.
KR: I was initially inspired to teach (and lead renegade museum tours) by my love of performing. The first lecture course I taught was in a concert hall with only a piano on stage - no chalkboard - the most appropriate start to my teaching career! I stay inspired by doing my best to incite curiosity in students, coworkers, and random New Yorkers who come on my museum tours. When this is successful, my favorite part of the job happens - something clicks, eyes light up, and people laugh. And then they ask questions! It's an amazing payoff for sharing information that I'm passionate about.
JB: A lot of the programs you are involved with incorporate unconventional teaching methods (i.e. your work at Museum Hack). In what ways have your students (both in the classroom and in the museum) surprised you?
KR: I'm always surprised when students and tour-goers feel comfortable enough to share things with me that excite or inspire them, i.e. seeing people bravely sidestep what would conventionally be considered a unilateral-delivery-of-info student/teacher or tour guide/guest boundary. One way I think all of the work I do may be considered unconventional is the lack of concern for this structure. Additionally, teaching at an art school has allowed me to learn more about the connections students are able to find between their worlds and the realms of science and math. For example, a couple of semesters ago, a student told me she signed up for my physics class to look for inspiration for her fashion design projects. Every now and then, students will run ideas past me for art projects they've thought about as a result of something discussed in class, which is the most pleasant teaching surprise I can imagine!
KR: I'm always surprised when students and tour-goers feel comfortable enough to share things with me that excite or inspire them, i.e. seeing people bravely sidestep what would conventionally be considered a unilateral-delivery-of-info student/teacher or tour guide/guest boundary. One way I think all of the work I do may be considered unconventional is the lack of concern for this structure. Additionally, teaching at an art school has allowed me to learn more about the connections students are able to find between their worlds and the realms of science and math. For example, a couple of semesters ago, a student told me she signed up for my physics class to look for inspiration for her fashion design projects. Every now and then, students will run ideas past me for art projects they've thought about as a result of something discussed in class, which is the most pleasant teaching surprise I can imagine!
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JB: You’ve written a lot of songs on the ukulele about math and physics. What draws you to music? Do you have a favorite song that you’ve written?
KR: Music was my first love. I went to college for audio engineering and was blindsided by the mysteries of physics along the way, but music has remained a priority. It's absolutely my favorite form of storytelling. I wrote one song that's 100% about math ("Math Ode"), as a plea for math-haters to try to see math as a beautiful, poetic thing, or to at least realize there are people out there who see it that way! Most of the others are love songs, or songs about the future, which I guess are not mutually exclusive things. Other than "Math Ode," I've never set out to write a song specifically about math or physics. I almost always write totally true stories involving details from my life; physics and math are a huge part of my consciousness and can't escape making appearances in songs here and there. In terms of a favorite song, I can't possibly choose one! A couple of years ago I wrote one called "Tendrils and Vines" about a totally unbelievable night I had, and that's high up on my list. Another favorite is "Troublesome Love," a song from college about having a serious crush on somebody in that uniquely college-student way. In addition to writing these ukulele songs, I'm in a feminist comedy-centric band called Vulvanarchy and a very cool, all-black-wearing rock band called Bomberos. Look out, world! Find Kelly online:
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By Peter Wood
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